NESP A12: Northern Australian Estuary Habitats from Landsat Satellite Imagery

Geoscience Australia Data produced a report analyzing coastal habitats in seven northern Australian estuaries using the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) platform. The work utilized a three-decade-long Landsat time series to map intertidal areas, mangrove extent, and habitat changes from 1988 to 2018. The analysis focused on Darwin Harbour and the Keep, Daly, Roper, Macarthur, Flinders, and Gilbert River estuaries.

Use Cases

• Mapping intertidal extent and morphology based on the Intertidal Extent Model applied to Landsat imagery.
• Detecting changes in mangrove forest coverage over time using a multi-decade satellite archive.
• Analyzing the effects of tidal dynamics on coastal habitats in regions with large tidal ranges.
• Informing species management and coastal development decisions with habitat change data.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on a three-decade-long Landsat time series, providing a long-term perspective.
• Covers seven specific estuaries in northern Australia, providing a regional assessment.
• Employs advanced methods like tide-tagging and geometric median composites to mitigate cloud interference.

Limitations

• The primary data artifact is a PDF report; the underlying analysis datasets are not directly described or available.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment for direct ML use.
• Geographic scope is limited to seven selected estuaries in northern Australia.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing analysis using the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) Landsat archive.

Time Range

Likely spans the Landsat archive period, approximately 1988 to 2018.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:39:21.501772; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Seven estuaries in northern Australia: Darwin Harbour, Keep, Daly, Roper, Macarthur, Flinders, and Gilbert River estuaries.